blinovitch_lmt_doctor_who_databasefandomcom-20200215-history
Galaxy 4 (TV story)
Galaxy 4 'is the first serial of the third season of ''Doctor Who. It was written by William Emms, directed by Derek Martinus and featured William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Maureen O'Brien as Vicki Pallister and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. Overview To be added Synopsis Following a skirmish in deep space, two alien spaceships have crash-landed on a barren planet. The Drahvins are a race of beautiful females, led by the imperious Maaga. The Rills are hideous tusked monstrosities, accompanies by their robot servants, the Chumblies. When the TARDIS arrives, the Doctor, Vicki and Steven discover that the planet will explode in two days. The Drahvins desperately ask for his help in escaping the planet and the hostile Rills. However, things aren't always what they seem... Plot Four Hundred Dawns (1) The TARDIS arrives on a barren planet with oddly shaped rocks strewn across it. Inside, the Doctor is confused as to how the planet can be entirely habitable for life, but does not seem to have any whatsoever. While he and Steven bicker, Vicki hears a warbling noise moving it's way around the TARDIS before they spot it on the scanner. Steven observes it seems to be broadcasting something; Vicki seems quite enamoured by the machine, dubbing it a 'Chumbley', while they step outside to investigate it. Outside the ship, they don't find any animal life or vegetation of any find when the Chumbley returns and gestures for them to follow it. Despite reservations, the Doctor, Steven and Vicki are herded away by it. Off to the side, two women observe this and throw a net over the Chumbley, disabling it. They present themselves as the Drahvins of the planet Drahva from Galaxy 4. Vicki is suspicious of them but the Drahvins insists they come to speak with Maaga or else be taken to the Rills, supposed monsters and killers. Vicki spots more Chumblies approaching from the distance and the Doctor, his companions and the Drahvins flee. The Chumblies free the captive one while, the Drahvins take the Doctor, Steven and Vicki to their headquarters. Maaga arrives and is angered by the Drahvins failure to retrieve their electronic net; Maaga tells the Doctor that the Drahvins and Rills are at war and that the planet is not long from imminent destruction. She says that the Rills have a spaceship to get away from the catastrophe, but they wish to claim it from them. Steven asks of Maaga's society, observing how all present are females; she claims that men are only necessary to keep the race alive while the rest are culled. On the subject of trying to escape, Steven is incredulous of the Drahvins desire to steal the Rills ship on account of failing to repair their own in time as Maaga doesn't give any description of or reason for the intention of the Rills. One of the Drahvins pots Chumblies approaching and Maaga orders them to ready themselves. The fires on the Chumblies from afar but their artillery and firepower has no effect. Steven and Vicki suggest that the Rills may have been offering the Drahvins help by telling them of their ship or lying about the planet exploding; Maaga mentions the Rills having offered help but they refused for fear of being killed. The Doctor and Steven go back to the TARDIS while Vicki remains behind with the Drahvins. They make it back there to find the Chumblies firing at it to no effect, before they turn away and leave. The Doctor examines the planet on his Astral map and discovers that the planet is going to explode much sooner than a fortnight like the Drahvins had anticipated - the planet would be destroyed in just two days. Trap of Steel (2) On the Drahvin's ship, Vicki watches out for the Doctor and Steven's return. Another Chumbley approaches the TARDIS carrying an odd device; it places the device at the base of the doors and connects the two wires it's holding, exploding the shell and knocking the Doctor and Steven to their feet but leaving the TARDIS unscathed. The Chumbley detonates a second shell and knocks them over again, but they still manage. The watch on the scanner as the Chambley leaves and the head back to the Drahvin ship. Maaga gives Vicki a bowel of leaves to eat but she just walks to the window to watch for the others. Vicki asks to go and look for them but Maaga refuses to let her in case they just leave. The Doctor and Steven soon return to the Drahvins, with Steven taking note of the inferior metal the ship is made of. The Doctor informs Maaga and the Drahvins that the planet will explode in a fortnight, despite knowing otherwise, but Maaga insists the Doctor help seize the ship from the Rills. He and his companions refuse to kill the Rills on any grounds and start to suspect Maaga's word has no merit. Maaga threatens them with a gun to force their compliance, but Steven seizes it until the other Drahvins come in and outgun them. The Doctor maintains that the planet still has a fortnight before destruction until Maaga threatens Vicki and he reveals the truth. Maaga forces the Doctor and Vicki to head to the Rill ship and take it from them by holding Steven behind. The Doctor and Vicki try to discern the true motives behind the Rills before they head off to their ship. Meanwhile, Steven awaits their return and is given the same 'food' as Vicki. He questions the Drahvins about Maaga's inheritance as leader; they all appear to be completely indoctrinated to Maaga's rank and role. Maaga arrives and punishes the Drahvin for listening to Steven, before requesting that Steven take them off the planet in the TARDIS, but he proclaims that he can't pilot it. When Steven sleeps, she tells the Drahvins that they can kill him when she wants. Elsewhere, Vicki and the Doctor watch a Chumbley heading to the Rill ship. Vicki throws a rock behind the Chumbley and discovers that they can only pick up sound in front of it, so they rush directly behind it and follow it to the ship. Back at the Drahvin's craft, Maaga and the Drahvins arm themselves, preparing themselves to storm the ship and kill all the Rills inside. The Doctor and Vicki make it to the Rill compound and hurry inside before they're detected by Chumblies. The Doctor observes the quality of the facility and determines the Rills to be significantly more technological than the Drahvins. Vicki picks up the smell of ammonia from all around when they hide from a Chumbley coming up the corridor. As they move further, they find the Rill ship, a far superior craft to the Drahvins. They wander into a repair shop for the Chumblies when Vicki spots a large scaly figure in the window and she screams. Air Lock (3) A Chumbley contains the Doctor and Vicki to the repair room when a giant metal gate closing between them as they try to escape. The Chumblies approach Vicki and insist the go with them to the Rill she saw, while the Doctor attempts to sabotage the Ammonia conversion system. Maaga complains about the Drahvin soldiers capacity to know nothing other than killing and routine. She declares that if the Doctor and Vicki succeed in their mission, she and the Drahvins would simply leave them and the Rills to die of the planet when it goes up, unaware that Steven is simply feigning sleep and overhearing everything. Maaga orders the Drahvins to patrol for the Doctor and Vicki while leaving one to guard Steven. The Chumblies bring Vicki to the Rills and one of them speaks through the machines using Vicki's voice print; while first they intimidate her, they explain that the Drahvins have been lying and thus explain the truth to her. The Doctor, meanwhile, works to try and sabotage their ammonia system. The Rills explain that they encountered the Drahvins in space trapped in gridlock, when the Rills eventually turned away from them the Drahvins fired on them and both ships crashed on the planet. When they attempted to help an injured Drahvin, Maaga arrived and chased them away before killing the soldier. The Rills offer to help rescue from Steven from the Drahvins when Vicki remembers that the Doctor is working to disable their Ammonia system, which would be threatening to the Rills, and rushes to stop him. Steven breaks his pretence when the Drahvin guard falls asleep, knocking her out and taking her weapon. He tries to escape but is trapped in the airlock between Maaga and an approaching Chumbley. Realising that the Rills cannot breath oxygen at all and depend on their ammonia-ridden atmosphere, Vicki rushes to and manages to stop the Doctor before he does any damage and explains the situation. The return to the repair shop and the Doctor informs them that the time for the planet to explode is less that two days now. The Rills are afraid that their craft cannot escape in time, but the Doctor offers to transfer power from the TARDIS from to their ship. Still trapped in the airlock, Steven refuses to lay down arms so Maaga starts to extract the air from the pressurised room, giving Steven three options: to stay and die, to go out to the Chumbley or surrender. The Rills receive a message through the Chumbley that Steven is in distress and the Doctor and Vicki rush to his aid with two more Chumblies. One of the Drahvins intercepts them along the way and they pretend that the Chumblies are subservient to them to trick her long enough for them to disarm her. Steven remains sealed in the airlock as the air is extracted but he left it so long to exit that the pressure has sealed the door. His only options now are to surrender to Maaga or die. The Exploding Planet (4) The Chumbley outside brings an Ammonia bomb to the airlock and manages to free Steven. After he gets his breath back, the Drahvins rush outside when they are caught in a standoff with the Chumblies. Allowing the Doctor to take Vicki and Steven away, the Rill force the Drahvins back into their ship. Inside, Maaga plans to punish the Drahvin from patrol later but then plot to get into the Rill ship and seize it before the planet explodes. Back in the Rill compound, the Doctor takes the power transfer cables to the TARDIS while Steven stays to keep guard for the Drahvins. Steven voice his concern that the Rills won't allow he and the others to leave should the Doctor's plan fail, but they assure him that they would, believing the Doctor to be more worthwhile to the universe. Knowing the Drahvins will try and seize the ship from the Rills, Steven offers to help set up the cables from the compound. Maaga sends a Drahvin to disable to guard outside. The Doctor and Vicki make it to the TARDIS where the Chumblies help set up the transfer cables. The Drahvins feel the planet shake as a result of it's approaching destruction, when the other Drahvin sent sneaks up on the Chumbley guard and destroys it. The Doctor radios Steven and tells him that the transfer cables are ready, but the Rills detect the destroyed Chumbley and warn them. Steven worries that the Drahvins would find out about the cable and destroy it before the power transfer is complete. Maaga suddenly storms into the compound; the Chumbley gets up behind Maaga and disables her while the Drahvins outside are ambushed by more Chumblies. The Doctor, Vicki and Steven then have a face-to-face discussion with the Rills; while initially shocked, the travellers still accept and understand them. Vicki and Steven start to feel the ill effects of the Rill's atmosphere and they let them return to the TARDIS, bidding each other farewell. In the firefight outside, Maaga realises that their weapons have no effect on the Chumblies and opts to charge the ship instead. The Rills' ship achieves adequate power from the TARDIS to get off the planet and charge properly off of a sun and has a Chumbley escort and protect them on their way back to the TARDIS. Outside, the Drahvins hear the Rills' ship taking off while the travellers hurry inside the TARDIS. Maaga and the Drahvins don't make it to the TARDIS as it dematerialises and are killed when the planet explodes. In the TARDIS, the Doctor relents that he wishes they could land somewhere not beset by danger at all times, when they look on the scanner at a planet and wonder what could be happening there. On the planet, a astronaut awakens in a daze with no memory other than that he 'must kill'... Cast * Dr. Who - William Hartnell * Steven Taylor - Peter Purves * Vicki - Maureen O'Brien * Maaga - Stephanie Bidmead * Drahvin One - Marina Martin * Drahvin Two - Susanna Carroll * Drahvin Three - Lyn Ashley * Chumblies - Jimmy Kaye * Chumblies - William Shearer * Chumblies - Angelo Muscat * Chumblies - Pepe Poupee * Rill Voice - Robert Cartland * Chumblies - Tommy Reynolds * Garvey - Barry Jackson Crew * Writer - William Emms * Director - Derek Martinus * Producer - Verity Lambert * Script Editor - Donald Tosh * Designer - Richard Hunt * Assistant Floor Manager - Marjorie Yorke * Assistant Floor Manager - Sue Willis * Costumes - Daphne Dare * Make-Up - Sonia Markham * Production Assistant - Angela Gordon * Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson * Studio Lighting - Derek Hobday * Studio Lighting - Ralph Walton * Studio Sound - George Prince * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire * Title Music - Ron Grainer References To be added Story notes To be added Broadcast & Ratings Continuity To be added Home video and audio releases To be added External Links * Official ''Galaxy 4'' page on '''Doctor Who Website